#328 Just another Manic Monday FrustraShawn

Mondays as a rule suck. 

The Monday Morning Commute, sucks to an added degree.

This particular Monday Morning Commute went far and beyond the call of duty... or rather the STM did.

So a massive Thank You and Merci to the STM for reminding me that today is Monday! (Like I could forget) But you really didn't have to have TWO Slowdowns AND an Interruption of Service to do this... the alarm clock and then the rain to start the day were more than enough.

My 45 minute commute was stretched to just a little over 90 minutes...

Bell you STM... you certainly make me feel I get my money's worth.

#314 Parental FrustraShawn

*sigh*

You know when you haven’t heard from your parents since you last spoke to them 2 weeks prior that something must be amiss.  

I tried them last night (twice)  got their machine)

Called them today from the office because I couldn't wait til tonight to call again.

Ask, “What’s new?”

Get the answer from Mother, “Well other than my fall, not much...”

When I asked, “When did you fall?!!!”

I was told, “Last Saturday. Didn't I tell you?”

“Mom, we haven’t spoken in two weeks!”

“Oh, well then, yes, I fell last weekend, and have been in bed mostly since. I was sure we had told you.”

*sigh*

I am really beginning to worry about those two…

I had to make them promise that the next time one of them has an accident, it is the other’s responsibility to let me know within 24 hours.

And I have to send an email to them to follow-up and have them print it and put on the fridge.

I used to think I should have liked to have kids, but then we have two dogs that are fairly well trained, and I have two Parents that aren't… and that’s enough.

#269 Work Week CompleShawn

I've impressed myself. Three weeks in and I still maintain a shred of Post-Vacation Bliss. 

It's a very thin shred, but it's holding and it's keeping my from cursing out loud in the office. And if you think that's no small feat, then I encourage you to spend a week next to Typhoid Mary and Tweedle Dumbest (aka the Boss)

#263 Rant of FrustraShawn

My On-Call (work) cell phone battery is close to empty. And that's because it's been ringing off the hook (so to speak). I'm not charging it. And furthermore, I don't really give a flying fig if someone tries to reach me and they can't! Deal with your problem and solve it yourself! And that goes double for Typhoid Mary who all of the sudden doesn't' know how to log in o our servers via VPN Something she's been doing for over 10 years). Not my problem. You can't log in remotely, then get in your car and head to the office. 

On Monday, if the Boss so much as says 'peep' about it I'll hand it back to him and tell him HE can be on call 7 days a week, plus monitor all the flights on Saturday and Sunday, because it's not in my job description and it's really getting to the point where it's not worth the bother of the hours that I bank.

Quite frankly, I am done.

Here endth the rant.

#261 Office StupefacaShawn

You know what stupid people don't like? 

I'll tell you... they don't like to be shown that they are indeed dumber than a box of hair.

The boss, since day one is always complaining about how much of our processes are on paper...  He's very anti-paper. Until today that is.

Seems now on the one page credit / re-bill requests that we fill out, he now wants a photocopy of the original invoice and the pricing contract, which is repetitive because we have to write all this information on the damn form in the first place.  

So now, the original one page credit/re-bill request form is now anywhere from a minimum 3 pages, up to 50+ pages. (Because you see Our system does not allow yo to select a single page of an invoice...

When it was pointed out that this was a phenomenal waste of paper he said, that this will be better for the Finance Department and the Auditors.  

When Typhoid Mary replied that for the past 46 years that she's been at this job, the form was more than enough and there were never any issues with Finance or the Auditors, and that this is clearly that he (and the newish CFO) have no confidence or trust in their employees.

He was not able to reply to that which only goes to show he's both an idiot AND a dick.

#211 I CAN'T TAKE IT MUCH LONGER! (Office FrustraSHawn)

Not sure I'll make it to Friday Afternoon. Typhoid Mary is as virulent as ever.

I told the Boss today (in front of the cesspool of phlegmy coughs) that it\s a good thing Friday is her last day because the disruption is reaching a tipping point.

The person that sits at the desk next to her, opted to work at the Reception desk. She's lucky because she was the receptionist so she can claim having tasks to do, but between you, me, and the rest of the people in our department... we wish we were the Receptionist.

Two days.

Only two days.

#209 Monday DictShawn

Crash! Bam! Boom!

Zoom Zoom!

That's as close to recapping my day at work without adding a lot of repetitive expletives. 

#199 Return of the Cougher. FrustraShawn!

So little Miss Cougher is back to her old self... coughing every couple of minutes. 

Someone asked her if she was using her medications and puffers, She replied that she didn't bother renewing the pills and she stopped using the puffers because she didn't like the taste...  O_o 

So now we all have to be annoyed all day long.

If it;s the same on Monday I'll be complaining to HR, And I'm sure i won't be alone.  Cannot start dealing with this again!

Thank God today is Friday.

#167 Cough, Cough, Cough RepetiShawn FrustraShawn

Coughzilla has returned.

Apparently she saw a Doctor on Friday. 

Apparently she was diagnosed with Asthma. 

Apparently she was not prescribed any Flovent or other medication, fir her, you know... Asthma.

Apparently her mucous laden cough is still as strong as ever.

Missing still.. are any gasping, wheezing, or shortness of breath, chest pain or ... you know... your classsic symptoms of Asthma.

So the entire office continues to have to put up with the the cough that wouldn't quit. 

Good times.

 

#162 Cough Cough CongestShawn

So sickie came into the office  again today.  Coughing up bits and pieces of her lungs all over the place.

After most of last week, that yesterday and today I had enough. Not only is she likely infecting the whole office, her coughing (and I'm not exaggerating when I say non-stop coughing) was rattling my sanity. 

Enough is enough. I'm tired of people coming into the office sick.  

I went to see the boss and HR. I pointed out that she really ought not be in the office - which is true. She sounds like death is rattling 'round her lungs. The boss went to see her and she managed to suppress her coughing for about five minutes. The moment he walked out of the call center she damn near passed out. 

HR is insisting that she see a Dr and she stays home until she comes in with a note indicating she's seen a Dr and they give their approval for her to be in the office. 

She went on and on about how the clinic she goes to doesn't take appointments and it's first come, first serve and she can never manage to be seen by a Dr (No shit Sherlock! That's what she's cough coughing on death's door.) Not good enough. I googled CLSC and her neighbourhood and gave her the number.  They made her call right away and she now has an appointment for Friday Morning.

Honestly, the entire office had to gang up on her to get her to see a Dr. Why do people rather gamble with their health than see a Dr.  Pisses me off.

On the plus side now I'll have the next two days Cough-Free and be able to get things done. She gets her lungs looked at and I get some peach and quiet... Win Win.

#161 Worktime FrustraShawn

Remember how much work I said I got done yesterday, when I was all alone?  Yes, well, lightning did not strike twice.

What did strike was shit to the fan. Monkey wrench in the machine.  

And by that I mean the co-worker returned.

Oh my god! Why couldn't she have stayed home again today?

#127 Parental Missed CommunicaShawn

Spoke to my parents for a couple of minutes on Monday and we agreed to a call tonight to discuss an Excel spreadsheet I made for the to manage expenses for the family cottage because, as I mentioned prior we will be contributing to them.

She was to have called by 7:30pm, I called at 8:15pm   one was watching cat videos on the web, the other was in bed (the one that agreed to the call) Mom was too tired to talk about it tonight.

I knew this would happen.  They are Cash Blocking us. At every turn they are trying to put the kibosh on letting us help. I've now mailed two checks and had to remind them that I can see whether or not they have cashed the checks.  I heard an audible groan from my Mom. 

So help me they are going to take our money, or else...

...or else I'll ground them and take away their TV and Internet privileges. So help me, I'll do it!

#122 Metro Announcement FrustraShawn

A little over a year ago, the STM removed all the garbage and recycling receptacles from the platform level of all the metro stations in the city. They added a few extra at the entrances, street level. 

This was done to make the riders of the Metro more responsible at disposing of their rubbish... by moving the garbage ans recycling cans FARTHER from the people! Admittedly things are a little less messy than they were at the beginning, but then when this change took place people were just dropping their papers etc anywhere and everywhere.

Now, I've bitched about the over excessive announcements in the Metro about slowdowns and broken doors etc and these go on ad nauseum throughout the day, every day. 

But *now* they have added an announcement, literally, *every five minutes* thanking people to use the waste receptacles when leaving the Metro. These announcements have the same warning tone at the beginning as interruption announcements, which just makes them that much more annoying.

And in the past 2 weeks, I've noticed an increase of people leaving their papers in the metro cars. LOL!  Well played STM, well played!

Stop the insanity! Stop all the pointless announcements!

#056 CorrecShawns

Remember yesterday, when I said, “Now if cleaning up all the errors my co-worker made in the past two weeks was as easy… ”

Yea, that.

I don’t know why some employees remain when others are laid off.

I think, that if the Dept had just been closed down for the two weeks I was off, and I had to deal with all the orders for those two weeks now; that I’d be so much farther ahead of the game.

It boggles the mind, no, it boggles the soul. 

We’re all of us human, and we’re going to make mistakes. To be sure, I've made my share, but in the last two years alone I haven't cost the company near half a million dollars in errors. Why that person is still there, I do not know. Respect and sympathy for a person’s age should only get you so far. 

When I come back from vacations I shiver at the ineptitude I discover over the following weeks, if not months.  And so far, 2 days back I've had to process 4 credit/rebills, I've found 2 incomplete orders and 1 missed order.

*sigh*

#040 Olympic Commentary FrustraShawn

Here's the thing; we're LOVING the Olympics, but OMG, the commentators... at least for the Canadian coverage, are abysmal... embarrassing... infuriating! 

Consistently, the commentators for Figure Skating (Olympics or otherwise) Kurt Browning and some British broad named Carol Lane are shiite. I swear their voices and every word that comes out of their mouth give me the shingles.

There is nothing they say that compliments the coverage of the Skating events. Practically never does anything they say offer useful insight into the performances. And often, as is the case, Kurt manages to swing the commentary around him. Here's a news flash Kurt, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU ANYMORE!

And it's not just these two.  One of the commentators for the Snowboard Slopestyle, Rob Snoek appears to have never watched the sport in his life and was for the most part being tutored by Craig McMorris (a snow boarder, and brother to Bronze Medalist Mark McMorris) throughout the entirety of the coverage for both Men's and Women's events. Honestly, it's as if the day before the Olympics they just picked Snoek out of a crowd on the street and offered him the job.

Not all of the CBC Sports "Specialists" (as they like to call them) are tits on a bull, but it really makes me reminisce for the days of CTV's Olympic coverage.

It really takes away from your viewing enjoyment when you find yourself constantly yelling at the TV and the garbage pouring from the mouths of the majority of the commentators.

I swear, if someone invented a device that would allow you to watch these events, with the music, but NO commentary, regardless of cost, I would not only buy it, I'd invest in it at the grass-roots because THAT would sure to be a gold mine!

#030 An AutomaShawn Limerick

There once was a lad from Nantucket,

Whose job he wished he could chuck it.

Printing invoices all day,

For the Auditors' fray;

At the end of the day he said 'suck it!'.

So far this week I've printed over a ream's worth of invoices and used  300 paper clips.

Knock wood no paper-cuts.

#024 Financial ConsideraShawn

You know what really grinds my gears?  

Upper Management types; in particular, one in my office. The General Manager and CFO for our division.

Under her 2 years in these roles we have seen the largest decrease in sales and profit, the most lay-offs in the 5 years - except for the Finance Dept which has doubled in the last 3 years. I'm not sure how one can rationalize doubling the department that controls all the money when said money has decreased annually during the same period. 

What’s even more of a joke is we have a client that owes us close to a  million dollars. Her brilliant solution is to open new accounts and provide new products and services to this client. Oh, and sending a far too politely worded email every 4-6 weeks kindly asking for a bit of the outstanding balance. I have more than once suggested we withhold all products and services from this client for one week.  As a private medical clinic group, they would soon buckle and pay up. But no, due to a culture of appeasing clients at any cost, regardless of the negative impact to OUR company and employees, we continue having to cut corners and people to make budgetary minimums. 

The latest lay-offs (which I mentioned back on Jan 7th) included 3 extremely hard working individuals. In the case of the individual that worked 2 desks away from me, the hole her lay-off has created now means that the remaining employees in the department have to pick up her tasks, including but not limited to her direct Manager (who knows NOTHING about the task involved) and one of the Finance Dept. employees, who fortunately knows more than the Manager (as she once worked daily in our Dept..)

I'm not saying I'm a financial whiz, but I know when someone is not paying up, or when you have an employee that is as useful as a superfluous nipple... Cut. Them. Off.   What amazes me is that those with any position to do something don’t see this or are afraid that acting on it now would bring them down too.  In the mean time, it’s denial as usual at the office… 

For now, I'll cling to T.G.I.F...  

#023 TransportaShawn FrustraShawn II

Nothing annoys me more than stupid and rude.  Put that into the Metro and I lose. My. Mind. 

If you stand in front of the opening doors of the Metro or an Elevator, at the top or bottom of an escalator or moving walkway or just inside or outside of doors to a building and I can neither enter or exit because you're too busy talking to someone, or you all of the sudden have lost your mind and don't know where you are or where you’re going, if are not aware that these are not acceptable locations to loiter or are picking your nose etc. I will push you. If you fall and break a limb, I will laugh my ass off. And if I have to, I will walk over and/or on you to get on my way. It's that simple.

And don’t think that mouthing off will deter me, because I swear, as god is my witness, I will throw back twice what you give.You have no one to blame but yourself.

The correct thing to do if you’re not aware, is STEP TO THE SIDE or just KEEP ON WALKING.

A few extra points of procedure if I might…

- Elevator and metro doors are only open mere seconds at a time so moving in quick and orderly fashion is not only preferred, it is MANDATORY.

- Also with regards to elevators and metro cars.  The order is as follows (with NO EXCEPTIONS)

1) People get OFF

Then and only then...

2) People get ON

- Escalators and moving walkways move… NON-STOP. It's what they do. It's who they are. There is no ‘Pause’ for idiots like you that can’t think of what to do after getting to the end of them. If you can’t remember where to go next, step off and to the side. There ARE people behind you that are not able to stop moving forward… they must go THROUGH you.

- Also with escalators and moving walkways, the standard accepted protocol is if you are just going to STAND there and not walk, MOVE TO THE RIGHT, ensuring you leave space on the left for those of us that don’t want to Age, doing nothing but wasting oxygen, looking like a bump on a log.

If all that’s too complicated for you then might I suggest you simply find a rock, crawl under it, curl up and die.

This has been a public service announcement from a person that has reached the limit.

#014 TransportaShawn FrustraShawn

If you live in Montreal, and you take public transit with any regularity, you know.

What you know is that with a painful almost clockwork precision there are slowdowns and shut-downs.

About a year and a half ago they pumped a lot of money into upgrading their notification system, by adding notices to their Facebook page, opening a Twitter account for each Metro line, placing multiple flat screen TV monitors in most stations,  and more frequent announcements on the PA system.

So instead of just accepting that the Metro is slow, we now hear that there is a slow-down because of a blocked door, every 10 minutes, pretty much every day. 

Or, like with today with an "emergency intervention" on the Orange Line. They were very good to keep announcing that there was a shut-down between 3 Metro stations and that service would be restored in 15 minutes. And then 5 minutes later that the shut-down was now 4 stations and the service would return in 15 minutes.  And then 5 minutes later that the shut-down was now 5 stations and the service would return in 15 minutes. And then 5 minutes later that the shut-down was still 5 stations and the service would return in 15 minutes. You get the idea... And that 15 minutes quickly has become 30+ minutes.

Here's an idea, accept that you know that an "emergency intervention" is likely going to take more than 10 - 15 minutes and that you're better off saying service will be down for 30 minutes (which is generally the bare minimum) Then if, god-forbid, the service comes back up on line sooner then you actually expected, it makes you look like you were really keen to fix the situation. But no, keep on with your constantly saying it will return in 15 minutes, and then adding 5 minutes to that over and over again until you loose track of the fact that 15 minutes had doubled or tripled in time. It just makes the packed metro cars and stations full of frustrated commuters that much more unhappy and agitated. 

It gets old. Really quick. Quicker in fact than the non-stop announcements that you question if they contain any actual, valuable, reliable information. People were impressed for the first few weeks or so. Then they realized that you hear the same damn pre-recorded  announcements, non-stop. Seemingly when there's nothing even actually wrong. 

Time to start actually improving the damn Metro lines and cars instead of just telling us it's always broke.